Published: 25 October 2026

Power agreements and new data centres are reshaping the regional AI map. How can CIOs make deployment workable?

Key points

• In January, TM Nxera confirmed an agreement securing 280 MW of electricity for its planned data center campus in Johor.

• - Make availability part of the business case The International Energy Agency projects that global electricity use by data centres will rise from 485 TWh in 2025 to approximately 950 TWh in 2030.

• - Its 2026 assessment also identifies tightening energy supply chains and stretched planning systems.

• - McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2026 similarly places energy and physical infrastructure at the centre of technology deployment.

• - Lee notes that, as of 2023, around 90 percent of its data center space is concentrated in Tokyo and Osaka.

• Background and analysis. The story fits a broader pattern: AI infrastructure decisions made in Europe and other overseas markets are reshaping supply chains, procurement practices and competitive dynamics worldwide. With power equipment, land and grid connections all in short supply, the playbook for building at scale is being rewritten in real time — and the lessons travel quickly across regions.

• Our take. The direction of travel is clear: AI infrastructure is moving from a capacity race to a race for capacity in the right place, delivered on the right timeline. Organisations that treat procurement, compliance and connectivity as strategic variables — rather than afterthoughts — will be best positioned as demand compounds.

• Source: iTnews Asia, "What’s behind the capacity crunch that’s holding back APAC’s AI ambitions?", 29 September 2026. https://www.itnews.asia/news/whats-behind-the-capacity-crunch-thats-holding-back-apacs-ai-ambitions-629137